president's address. 35 



the Society was not responsible for the introduction of this terrible 

 rodent-pest." 



In South Australia, Mr. Samuel White, between 1854 and 1855, 

 turned out rabbits on his land at Wirrabeen, where they remained 

 without any rapid increase in numbers until about 1868, when they 

 began to spread out, and, by 1870, covered a large area. In 1876, 

 they were recognised in South Australia as a pest, and the Govern- 

 ment passed a Bill for their destruction. Under this Act, destruc- 

 tion-camps were formed, and large sums of money expended in 

 trying to exterminate them. 



Legislative action was first adopted in Victoria in 1880, when 

 power was granted to the Municipal Authorities to destroy rabbits ; 

 but this not meeting the requirements, the Act was repealed, and 

 the Government passed the Vermin Destruction Act. 



It is somewhat remarkable that, just about the same year, the 

 rabbits from the Stony Rises, about Colac and Geelong, in Vic- 

 toria, and also the rabbits in South Australia, began to move on 

 northward. I knew the Murray country, from Euchuca to Swan 

 Hill, Victoria, in 1875, before the vanguard of the advancing army 

 of rabbits had reached our country; but, in 1879, they were swarm- 

 ing through all the sand-hills, flats, and mallee-scrub. In 1879, they 

 were killed near Balranald, though these may have been stragglers 

 from the South Australian invasion. In 1880, the rabbits crossed 

 over at Murray Downs Station into New South Wales, and spread 

 rapidly over the south-west. 



The seriousness of the pest was so apparent, that the New South 

 Wales Government passed the "Rabbity Nuisance Act," in May, 

 1883. Under this Act, inspectors were appointed, and, later on, 

 a Rabbit Branch was created in the Department of Mines. Under 

 the regulations of the Board, the owners of infested lands were 

 compelled to engage gangs of men to destroy rabbits; and, between 

 the date of the passing of the Bill and the end of 1886, the 

 Government paid out £361,492 in the purchase of rabbit-scalps, 

 and incidental expenses, and recorded the collection of 7,852,787 

 scalps. At the same time, many landholders had expended large 



